The Woodlands’ Amendola receives praise from Brady
With Patriots receiver Julian Edelman missing the season because of a knee injury and tight end Rob Gronkowski being forced out of the AFC Championship Game because of a concussion, Danny Amendola stepped up and became a go-to receiver for QB Tom Brady.
In playoff victories over Tennessee and Jacksonville, Amendola had 18 catches for 196 yards and two touchdowns. He averaged 10.4 on punt returns.
Amendola, who grew up in The Woodlands, had two touchdown catches in the victory over the Jaguars that secured the Patriots’ spot in Super Bowl LII against Philadelphia.
“Danny’s everything our team is all about,” Brady said. “He does everything coach (Bill Belichick) asks him to do and never makes excuses.
“(He) shows up every day and works hard. Returns punts, plays inside and on the perimeter. He makes the biggest plays in the biggest games. What more could you ask for?”
This is Amendola’s fifth season with the Patriots. He’s trying to win a third ring.
“He’s a great teammate and a great friend,” Brady said. “I’m lucky to have played with him for as long as I have.”
Gronkowski at practice but limited
Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski was at the team’s full-pads practice Wednesday, but he remained limited as he recovers from the concussion he suffered during the AFC Championship Game, according to a pool report.
Coach Bill Belichick opened his news conference later Wednesday by saying Gronkowski did not wear a red non-contact jersey, correcting the pool report that indicated Gronkowski did wear a red jersey. A player who wears a red jersey is not supposed to have any contact.
Quarterback Tom Brady practiced with only black tape on his injured right hand and participated fully. Brady was taken off the injury report last week, but he said Tuesday that his hand is still bothering him somewhat.
Brady led the offense through passing and red-zone drills at the start of the practice, then moved into situational 11-on-11 work, according to the pool report.
Along with Gronkowski, defensive linemen Deatrich Wise (concussion) and Malcom Brown (foot) were limited.
“We’re getting there,” Belichick said. “Every year is a little bit different because we’re a little bit different and the team we play is a little bit different. But I think we’re doing the best we can.”
Hall of Famer Favre to speak to Eagles
Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre will speak to the Eagles at their team meeting on Saturday, Philadelphia coach Doug Pederson confirmed.
Pederson was Favre’s backup in Green Bay for eight seasons and invited him to speak to the team when he found out that he’d be in town for another engagement.
Favre, who was originally drafted by the Falcons, went 1-1 in Super Bowl appearances with the Packers, beating the Patriots 35-21 after the 1996 season and losing to the Broncos 31-24 the following season. Pederson backed up Favre on both teams.
“He’s just going to go over how he felt as a player at that time and what he thinks,” Eagles defensive end Brandon Graham said. “He’s probably going to tell us not to make this bigger than it should be.”
Pederson had former NBA great Kobe Bryant speak to the team when they played in Los Angeles during the regular season.
The Eagles are looking forward to hearing from Favre.
“We’ll be able to relate to everything that he’s talking about as a person and a player,” Graham said. “All he can do is build our confidence to let us know that we can go out there and do it.”